136 research outputs found
Study of natural radioactivity in Mansehra granite, Pakistan: environmental concerns
No full textA part of Mansehra Granite was selected for the assessment of radiological hazards. The average activity concentrations of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K were found to be 27.32, 50.07 and 953.10 Bq kg(-1), respectively. These values are in the median range when compared with the granites around the world. Radiological hazard indices and annual effective doses were estimated. All of these indices were found to be within the criterion limits except outdoor external dose (82.38 nGy h(-1)) and indoor external dose (156.04 nGy h(-1)), which are higher than the world's average background levels of 51 and 55 nGy h(-1), respectively. These values correspond to an average annual effective dose of 0.867 mSv y(-1), which is less than the criterion limit of 1 mSv y(-1) (ICRP-103). Some localities in the Mansehra city have annual effective dose higher than the limit of 1 mSv y(-1). Overall, the Mansehra Granite does not pose any significant radiological health hazard in the outdoor or indoor
Association of Helicobacter Pylori Infection with Anemia: A Retrospective Study
No full textNot Availabl
COVID-19 vaccine side effects and its associated factors among healthcare workers
No full textBackground: Since the COVID-19 epidemic of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS COV-2) in 2019, with over 376 and 5.7 million people have contracted the disease and died as a result. Objective: This research evaluated the adverse effects of the COVID-19 immunization and its risks factors among healthcare professionals working in Pakistan. Methods: Healthcare professionals who received the Covid-19 vaccine at Mufti Mehmood Memorial Teaching Hospital Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan, between June 2021 and May 2022 were the subject of the research. It was determined whether there was a significant connection between the distinct factors and the result variables using bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression (MBLR) models. Results: One or more adverse effects were experienced by 198 (55.73%) of the healthcare employees who received the Covid-19 immunization. Fever, Headache, Myalgia, Tiredness, Injected site pain and dizziness (n=158; 44.63%, n=135; 38.13%, n=109; 30.79%, n=98; 27.68%, n=92; 25.98%, n=86; 24.29%; respectively) made up the bulk of the adverse effects. Healthcare professionals with less than eight years of employment (AOR: 3.47, 95% CI, 1.23-9.69), hesitancy to receive the Covid-19 vaccine's 1st dose (AOR: 3.11, 95% CI, 1.71-4.88), taking antihypertensive drugs (AOR: 2.51; 95% CI, 0.12-0.39), and immunization safety is viewed as being insecurely.
 
Prevalence of sputum smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis at Dargai, District Malakand, Pakistan: A four year retrospective study
No full textAbstractTuberculosis (TB) is an ancient disease however, poses serious challenge in the modern era in developing as well as developed countries. Every year millions of peoples are infected with TB and millions of peoples lose their lives. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of pulmonary tuberculosis sputum smear positive (PTB-SS+ve) among the suspected TB patients at Tehsil Head Quarter (THQ) Hospital Dargai, District Malakand Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A retrospective study was designed from January 2011 to December 2014. Out of 736 registered and suspected patients of TB, (40.08%) were PTB-SS+ve, (15.63%) were PTB-SS−ve whereas the remaining cases were diagnosed with extra-pulmonary TB, hence excluded from the study. The ratio of PTB-SS+ve cases was higher in females (57.63%) compared to males (42.37%). Furthermore, in the age group <20years PTB-SS+ve cases were (34.92%), in 21–40years it was (33.90%), and in 41–60years it was (21.35%), and in >60years age group PTB-SS+ve cases were (9.83%). No difference was found in the years 2013 and 2014 regarding PTB-SS+ve cases registration. PTB still presents a serious health issue in the region and rapid prophylactic measures are needed to eradicate the issue
Free Fatty Acid Overload Targets Mitochondria: Gene Expression Analysis of Palmitic Acid-Treated Endothelial Cells
No full textLipotoxicity is known to cause cellular dysfunction and death in non-adipose tissue. A major cause of lipotoxicity is the accumulation of saturated free fatty acids (FFA). Palmitic acid (PA) is the most common saturated fatty acid found in the human body. Endothelial cells form the blood vessels and are the first non-adipose cells to encounter FFA in the bloodstream. FFA overload has a direct impact on metabolism, which is evident through the changes occurring in mitochondria. To study these changes, the PA-treated human coronary artery endothelial cell (HCAEC) dataset was obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), and it was analyzed to obtain differentially expressed genes (DEGs) from the nucleus and mitochondria. Functional and pathway enrichment analyses were performed on DEGs. Results showed that nuclear and mitochondrial DEGs were implicated in several processes, e.g., reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, mitochondrial fusion and fission, Ca2+ sequestering, membrane transport, the electron transport chain and the process of apoptosis. To better understand the role of FFA in endothelial cell damage, these DEGs can lead to future experiments based on these findings
To compare the efficacy of progesterone between oral versus vaginal routes of administration in the treatment of first trimester threatened miscarriage
No full textObjective: To determine the efficacy of oral versus vaginal progesterone in the treatment of the first trimester threatened miscarriage.
Methodology: This randomized controlled trial study was conducted at Gynaecology and Obstetrics Department of Mardan Medical Complex, Mardan from September 2019 to March 2020. A total of 126 women between ages 18-45 years presenting in their first trimester with threatened miscarriage were included. All patients were randomly allocated in two equal groups A and B by lottery method (63 in each group). Patients in group A were given oral progesterone 10 mg bid for one week and group B patients were given vaginal progesterone 400 mg for one week under the supervision of obstetrician. All patients were followed up till 20th week of pregnancy. The efficacy of the drug was evaluated based on the absence of bleeding per vagina and pregnancy proceeding beyond 20 weeks of gestation.
Results: A total of 126 women were included. The majority of the patients 64 (50.79%) were between 18 to 30 years of age. The mean age of women in group A was 30.52 ± 4.52 years and in group, B was 30.73 ± 4.23 years. Efficacy of Oral progesterone (group A) was seen in 57 (90.48%) women and of vaginal progesterone (group B) was seen in 46 (73.02%) women. This showed a highly significant difference between the two routes of administration with p-value of 0.01.
Conclusion: Oral progesterone is more effective than vaginal progesterone in treating first trimester threatened miscarriage in terms of prevention of blood loss and continuing the pregnancy beyond 20 weeks
Evaluation of Antibacterial Properties of Harpeen Against Selected Bacterial Pathogens
No full textThe occurrence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is a serious threat to global health. The dried form of whey is called Harpeen and has antibacterial properties. In this study, the antibacterial properties of Harpeen were evaluated against pathogenic bacterial strains including Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Proteus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus, Salmonella typhi, Enterobacter, Bacillus subtilis via agar-well diffusion method. Harpeen exhibited significantly higher antibacterial activity against Proteus and Klebsiella pneumoniae in comparison to other selected bacterial strains. This natural product can be utilized as a potent antimicrobial agent
Caracterização mecânica de juntas soldadas TIG Al 6082-T6 pós-soldagem temperada
No full textThis research aims to enhance the efficiency of weld joints through a cost-effective methodology. Aluminium 6082-T6 is the chosen material due to its frequent use in applications that require intermediate strength with low weight. Welding operations typically lead to a weakening of material strength by up to 50% due to the high input heat. Therefore, the focus of this study is to improve the strength by employing quenching techniques with different media, such as sand, water, and hydraulic oil. A comparative analysis of the mechanical properties is performed based on the quenching of weld joints using these various media. Additionally, microstructure examination is conducted to facilitate this comparative study. The mechanical properties investigated include hardness, tensile strength, yield strength, and toughness, with the goal of understanding the impact of different quenching media. The research reveals that water-cooled joints exhibit higher yield strength, while oil-cooled joints demonstrate superior tensile strength compared to other joints. Furthermore, the ductility of oil-cooled joints is notably higher, as measured by % elongation. Water cooling leads to noteworthy hardness in both the Weld Zone (WZ) and Heat-Affected Zone (HAZ) due to rapid cooling. In contrast, the hardness of oil-cooled joints is not significantly different from that of water-cooled welded joints. Regarding toughness, oil-cooled joints show greater impact energy in the HAZ compared to those quenched with water, sand, and air. However, in the WZ, air-cooled joints exhibit superior impact energy, which directly indicates better toughness properties. Therefore, oil-cooled joints display higher toughness in the HAZ, while air-cooled joints are tougher in the WZ. Overall, the mechanical properties of oil-cooled joints are significantly enhanced, leading to an improved weld efficiency from 55% to 72%.Esta investigación busca mejorar la eficiencia de las uniones soldadas mediante una metodología rentable. El aluminio 6082-T6 es el material elegido debido a su uso frecuente en aplicaciones que requieren resistencia intermedia con bajo peso. Las operaciones de soldadura suelen provocar una reducción de la resistencia del material de hasta un 50 % debido al elevado calor de entrada. Por lo tanto, este estudio se centra en mejorar la resistencia mediante técnicas de temple con diferentes medios, como arena, agua y aceite hidráulico. Se realiza un análisis comparativo de las propiedades mecánicas basado en el temple de las uniones soldadas con estos diversos medios. Además, se realiza un examen de la microestructura para facilitar este estudio comparativo. Las propiedades mecánicas investigadas incluyen dureza, resistencia a la tracción, límite elástico y tenacidad, con el objetivo de comprender el impacto de los diferentes medios de temple. La investigación revela que las uniones refrigeradas por agua presentan un mayor límite elástico, mientras que las refrigeradas por aceite demuestran una resistencia a la tracción superior en comparación con otras uniones. Además, la ductilidad de las uniones refrigeradas por aceite es notablemente mayor, medida mediante el porcentaje de elongación. El enfriamiento por agua produce una dureza notable tanto en la zona de soldadura (ZS) como en la zona afectada por el calor (ZAC) debido al rápido enfriamiento. Por el contrario, la dureza de las uniones enfriadas con aceite no es significativamente diferente de la de las uniones soldadas enfriadas con agua. Con respecto a la tenacidad, las uniones enfriadas con aceite muestran una mayor energía de impacto en la ZAC en comparación con las templadas con agua, arena y aire. Sin embargo, en la ZS, las uniones enfriadas con aire exhiben una energía de impacto superior, lo que indica directamente mejores propiedades de tenacidad. Por lo tanto, las uniones enfriadas con aceite muestran una mayor tenacidad en la ZAC, mientras que las uniones enfriadas con aire son más tenaces en la ZS. En general, las propiedades mecánicas de las uniones enfriadas con aceite mejoran significativamente, lo que lleva a una mejora en la eficiencia de la soldadura del 55% al 72%.Esta pesquisa visa aumentar a eficiência de juntas soldadas por meio de uma metodologia econômica. O alumínio 6082-T6 é o material escolhido devido ao seu uso frequente em aplicações que exigem resistência intermediária com baixo peso. As operações de soldagem normalmente levam a um enfraquecimento da resistência do material em até 50% devido ao alto calor de entrada. Portanto, o foco deste estudo é melhorar a resistência empregando técnicas de têmpera com diferentes meios, como areia, água e óleo hidráulico. Uma análise comparativa das propriedades mecânicas é realizada com base na têmpera de juntas soldadas usando esses vários meios. Além disso, o exame da microestrutura é realizado para facilitar este estudo comparativo. As propriedades mecânicas investigadas incluem dureza, resistência à tração, resistência ao escoamento e tenacidade, com o objetivo de compreender o impacto de diferentes meios de têmpera. A pesquisa revela que juntas resfriadas a água apresentam maior resistência ao escoamento, enquanto juntas resfriadas a óleo demonstram resistência à tração superior em comparação com outras juntas. Além disso, a ductilidade das juntas resfriadas a óleo é notavelmente maior, medida pela % de alongamento. O resfriamento a água resulta em dureza notável tanto na Zona de Solda (ZS) quanto na Zona Afetada pelo Calor (ZAC) devido ao resfriamento rápido. Em contraste, a dureza das juntas resfriadas a óleo não é significativamente diferente daquela das juntas soldadas resfriadas a água. Em relação à tenacidade, as juntas resfriadas a óleo apresentam maior energia de impacto na ZAC em comparação àquelas temperadas com água, areia e ar. No entanto, na ZC, as juntas resfriadas a ar exibem energia de impacto superior, o que indica diretamente melhores propriedades de tenacidade. Portanto, as juntas resfriadas a óleo apresentam maior tenacidade na ZAC, enquanto as juntas resfriadas a ar são mais tenazes na ZC. No geral, as propriedades mecânicas das juntas resfriadas a óleo são significativamente aprimoradas, levando a uma eficiência de soldagem aprimorada de 55% para 72%
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